Vaporizer.



UNITED sTATns PATENT oriiioii.

FRED WALLACE THURsToN, or sPoxANE, WASHINGTON, AssIGNoR, BY ivrEsNEf ASSIGNMENTS, To THUnsToN MOTOR'FUEL @insinua ooivrPANYoi CALI-,5

proved means for vaporizing a supplied explosive mixture for explosive engines,

An object of the invention is to provide the screen with a Abottom detlector for delfleeting the major portion of the incoming fuel/directly agaignst the primary heating surface, for subsequent' passage through the hea'ted screen, said 'bottom haring a direct passageopening 'fora small volume oi the el to reduce the ltend iicy to form a vacuum just above said deifr-eting body.

A further object is to provide a retainer for' retaining the fuel in contact against the L primary heating surface for a portion of its travel, said retainer being in such spaced v relation vwith respect to the screen heater as to expose all of the area of the screen heater for passage therethrough oft the fuel. In thisconnection, it is a feature of this in- 'vention' to reduce the vacuum forming tendency to such an extent that there will be only sufficient draw to induce a portion of the fuel to pass through the screen behind the retainer.

Claims to the' apparatus, whereby lthe condensate is collected and held tor cnrich- -Inent thev next in-coming mixture, have been transferredto my co-pending application filed December '1l-,1916, Serial No. 134,965. Y

Other features and objects of my improved means for vaporizing and ire-starting Without priming will be more fully described in connection witli'the accompanying drawingy and Willbe more particularly pointed out in. and by the appended claims.

The accompanying drawing shows in vertical section, one embodiment of. my invention. c

As illustrated, 1 designates, Aas a whole, an intake manifold for a four cylinder eX- plosive engine and it Tvill be observed that 'the manifold is'onstrueted to drain into an attaching terminal end 2 to which the device of my invention is secured,

y vernetzen.

My improved vaporizer includes anouter shell 3 having inlet vand outlet pipes 4 and for passage through the outei' shell of a heating medium such for instance as the eX- The outer shell 3 has an inner shell (i, preferably cylindrical, which functions as a primary heating liaust gases from the engine.

surface and between which inner shell and outer shell thc exhaust gascs pass` l conveniently reduce the inner shell (i, indicated at- T, and thi-cad on to thc-reduced end 7 a cap S to which'tlie terminal 2 maylbe secured by its flange i). in any desired iman-l iier. The reduced end 7 forms an outlet 1'0 which is preferably equal in diameter to the terminal 2. The bottom ot' the,sliell 3 is recessed at 11 to reccivc a detloctor 12 which preferably'extends transversely' across the path of the supplied mixtuicij The .outer margin of the dei'lector 12 interposed be tween shell 3 and a fitting 3 the latter being coupled at 14 to a pipe 15 leading from a suitable n'ieans of supply ot the fuel iiiix-v ture, such asthe carburetor. The detlector 12 is provided with a series ot' openings 16 which arc preferably laterally disposed,

radially, with respect` to the bore/17 so that the incoming fuel will be deflected out-` wardly, radially, against the inner t'ace 18 oi shell (3. For this purpose, the fitting 13 is i'iared at 1i) to provide passage for a suitable volume of the mixture.

Patent-eu oct. 22,1918. .ppiicatiqn area einem is, 1915. serial No. 55,66'1.

l mount upon the defiector 12 an lobcoiiic screen 20 having its lower margin 21 spacedl a considerable distance from the shell 6- and its upper ii'iargin 22 disposed closely adjacent shell fi. The. top of the screen 20 is open, as indicated at 23, the opening' 23 being preferably equal in diameter to the'ouilet bore l0. Thus it will be seen that the screen Q() is interposed in the path oi the mixture in such a manner that all oil the mix'- tiire leaving` shell 6 is suction drawn by the engine through said scree After an explosive engine has been brought to a position of rest subsequent to operation, the vapor in the'intake or manifold condeiises after the parts cool and this leaves the Walls of the -intake coated with a sweat or covering of globules of liquid fuel. This "liquid'coiidensate very eiiicientlyand quickly iinpregnates air or a thin mixture to form a rich explosivevapor. Now this condensate drains down the intake and because of the fact that the screen collector is interfuel.

Now in re-starting an engine, especially when 'using a low grade'hydro-carbon, but even in the case of gasolene, the first inrush or influx of air fails to pick up a sufficient amount of the liquid fuel so as to enter the cylinder as a rich vapor and therefore in most cases .it is necessary to prime in one form or another. However, with my improved device they first influx of re-starting thin mixtureis so rich by passage through the lilm coated collector that it. is not necessary to prime the engine becausethe first influx mixture is sufliciently rich to make an effective.explosion. The cylinder exhausts from the starting explosions, resulting from this condensate enriched air, will immediately heat the prinuiry surface 18, and the screen Q0, so that the richer influx immediately following the condensate enriched mixture, will quickly be vaporized to `sustain continuous explosions in the engine. The in'iportance of providingr means for heating the screen collector, in addition to having a vcollector for performing this function will now-he clear.

I 'have pointed out that the deflector 1Q deflerls the fuel against the primary heating surfaceilS but I will now describe an im` proved retainer for positively holding suhstantially the complete annular volume of' fuel against the primary heating surface for va portion of the travel 'of the fuel.

lV have shown my improved retainer at 24 as being a flaring truncated cone having'its smaller end mounted at Q5, on the defiector l2, in spaced relation from the screen ".)0 and overhanging the openings 1G. the upper end Q6 extending toward hut not into contact with the primary heating surface 1S. rlhus the function of the retainer ll is to engage the previously deflected fuel and retain such fuel in engagement with the surface 1S. A most important feature is to dispose the retainer in spaced relation from the screen so that the full area of screen surface will be presented for l'iassage th^through of the fuel.

If thatportion of the defiector i2 disposed inwardly with respect to passage openings 1G were wholly imperforate, then there would be such a strong tendency to `form a vacuum j ust above deflector 12 as would constitute additional and unnecessary restriction'of'fiow to the engine` AI do not wish to'ientii'eyly eliminate this vacuum forming l, tendency'fbut I find it advantageous to so reduce"thisltendency that flow Will not be impeded or restricted and yet all of the screeir-areawill be presented to the fuel..

Thus, I provide. a direct passage 27, preferably screened as at 28 so that a relatively small volume of fuel may pass axially upwardly through the vaporizer without impii'iging against primary heating surface 18 and without going through screen :20. However, this direct passage opening 2T admits y.such a small volume as to amount to about one-fortieth of the total volume. Now the function of this direct passage opening is to' reduce the vacuum creating tendency above the deflector l2 lbut such vacuum will be formed sufficiently todi-aw down over the top Q6, of the retainer 24 a portion of the volume for passage between that part of the screen located behind theretainer thereby making all of the screen surface available as a breaker and at the saine time getting full advantage of the retainer in holding the niajor portion of the mass against the primary heating surface.

ln order to provide an all-screen interior for the secondary breaking screen shell, I dispose a screen "29 between the screen 28 and the screen 20 so' that none of the condensate draining into the collector Will fall when itispii'esented to the incoming air on a screen surface.

lt is believed that the advantages of mv in'iproved means may be clearly appreciated from the foregoing description, and while I have shown and described one specific form of my invention, I do ynot wish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claims may import.

I claim l. In a device for vaporizing fuel, an outer primary healing shell, means for applying heat lo said-shell, an inner screen shell, means` for defierting the fuel against said l latingshell before it is drawn through said screen shell` a retainer extending along and in spaced relation with respect to said screen shell for 'retaining the deflected fuel in contact with the primary shell, substantiall as described. t

2. In a device -for vaporizing fuel, an outer primary heating shell, means directly supplying` heat to said shell, an `inner screen shell, extending along said primary shell to substantially the full length of the latter, means for deflecting the fuel outwardly from said inner screen shell against the iiiteror of said primary heatingr shell 'for subsequent passage of the fuel through and into said inner shell, and a retainer coacting with said means and projecting longitudinally along said primary heatingshell to retain the deflected fuel thereagainst, said retainer being in suc-h spaced relation from said inner screen shell that ali outhe' area of the latter will he presented for passa e' of the fuel therethrough, substantially as e scribed. n i

3.- In a device for Yaporiiing ueh4 an outer primary heating sheli, an irner screen shell extending along and abreast of primary shell, a deflector forming the ,bot-

I tom of said screen shell and arranged to delmmediately abov'efsaid defiector, substan-v tially asdesoribed.

r 4; I'n-ajdevice for vaporizing fuel, an o'ter primary heating shell, an innersereen shell disposed in such close relation iong;

passage into and through said the ength of said prin heaed thereby ro him; Hecor for defiecling die primary shell primo pas through Said screen shel ing along/and in Mmm( vspect to said screen 'nel defiected ',ueagai r Said deiecor having a direct passiv/e oi' ini@ firming" ie (ieiiecor only suihf ,A to iilraw :a pavilion o.' he ainer and 'Hmmgh thai screen shei behind rh@ iaiij' as described.

in testimony ha; li as my own he m FRED Ti 

